In one of our kitchen cabinets sits a big bag of M&Ms.

M&Ms are a reward for various activities the children complete. There are thousands of M&Ms in the bag. If the kids do everything right, they can get up to 6.  Seeing the joy on their faces as they slowly pop these into their little mouths, I would love to give them the whole bag. I would love to see their cheeks covered in chocolate as they throw them up into the air and fill the room with laughter. It is my good pleasure to give them what they want. But I don’t, for obvious reasons.

And so my kids wonder why I don’t give them what they want. They see no harm in the spreading of such apparent joy. They can’t understand that there could possibly be any logical reason for me to withhold from them something so pleasurable.

So, occasionally I get called names or receive an angry look. Especially when I suggest the M&Ms be shared. Little do the children know that if they share their M&Ms I am more than happy to give them more, maybe even more than 6. Their decisions to protect what they have and to only believe they’ll ever get 6 is something they may grow up believing. At least their parents did.

In this Sunday’s gospel we consider the grand possibilities that exist beyond our own self-limiting urges, beliefs and behaviors. We ponder the notion that God’s infinite riches may be unlocked by our generosity – that the more we are able to hold the value of our possessions at arms length, developing an attitude of giving and sharing, the more true riches we just might see coming our way – (so that we might share more…).

How are you and I limiting God’s generosity by being stingy with ours? How might we take more steps toward sharing, getting our eyes off of our stuff and onto those who may need it more than we do?

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Reading

Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift

Practicing Resurrection – Eugene Peterson